


RanWan x WangXian - Camaraderie

by GuoXingHe



Category: Mo Dao Zu Shi, 二哈和他的白猫师尊 - 肉包不吃肉 | The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:42:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuoXingHe/pseuds/GuoXingHe
Summary: SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE PLOT FOR BOTH BOOKS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!It's the crossover nobody needed, but I supplied.I crossposted this to my Tumblr a while back.
Relationships: Chu Wanning & Mo Ran, Chu Wanning/Mo Ran, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	RanWan x WangXian - Camaraderie

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE PLOT FOR BOTH BOOKS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
> 
> It's the crossover nobody needed, but I supplied.
> 
> I crossposted this to my Tumblr a while back.

Wei Wuxian knelt, examining the corpses. Chenqing hung at his side, tassel red like the sky, body black like the haze. He sighed. “Lan Zhan, oh, Lan Zhan, what have we stumbled into? This sea of corpses goes on for miles.”

“Mmn.”

Wei Wuxian scratched his nose. “That spirit didn’t tell us much besides having to find a monster here and slaying it.” Standing, he turned back to Lan Wangji. “Can you use Inquiry?”

Before Lan Wangji could answer, in the distance, Mo Ran yelled, “Hey, you there!”

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji looked up to see two men approaching them. Instinctively, Lan Wangji stepped in front of We Wuxian, hand on Bichen.

Lan Wangji’s eyes narrowed, his lips pursed. Wei Wuxian on the other hand waved eagerly, calling, “Hello!”

Mo Ran asked, “Shizun, do you think they’re like us?”

“I’m not sure. We haven’t run into anyone else here though.” Chu Wanning walked a bit ahead of Mo Ran, ready to summon Tiawen. “Be ready to fight in case they’re hostile.”

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji cautiously approached the other pair. The pairs facing each other, Wei Wuxian was the first to speak. “We haven’t seen anyone else. Were you also summoned here?”

Mo Ran nodded. “A spirit approached us. It said we needed to slay a monster for it to rest.”

Chu Wanning continued, “It exploded, blinding the both of us. When we regained our vision, we found ourselves here.”

“That’s the exact same thing that happened to us. Right, Hanguang-Jun?” Wei Wuxian glanced at his husband, smiling like he always did at him.

Lan Wangji nodded. “Mmn. Did they give you any other instructions?”

“No,” Mo Ran answered.

“Very well.” Lan Wangji unwrapped the guqin on his back, kneeling amongst the corpses.

Chu Wanning asked, “What are you doing?”

“Inquiry,” Lan Wangji answered.

“He can consult the spirits around here using the guqin.” Wei Wuxian knelt next to Lan Wangji. “Haven’t you heard of the Gusu Lan Sect?”

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran glanced at each other before shaking their heads. Mo Ran said, “There isn’t a Gusu Lan Sect where we’re from.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened and pursed his lips. “How about Yunmeng Jiang? Lanling Jin?”

“There are no sects like that where we’re from,” Chu Wanning answered. “Have you heard of SiSheng Peak? It’s a lower cultivation sect.”

“I haven’t heard of it. How about you Lan Zhan?” Lan Wangji shook his head, and Wei Wuxian asked, “What are your names?”

“Mo Ran, and,” Mo Ran gestured to Chu Wanning, “this is my Shizun, Chu Wanning.”

“Nice to meet you.” Wei Wuxian grinned and saluted back. “I’m Wei Wuxian. This is my husband, Lan Wangji.”

“Husband?” Chu Wanning’s ears turned pink.

“Yes, my dear husband!” Wei Wuxian slung an arm across Lan Wangji’s shoulders. “My beautiful Hanguang-Jun!”

“Wei Ying, get your arm off me,” Lan Wangji scolded gently, “I can’t play with you like that.”

“Yes, yes.” Wei Wuxian removed his arm and explained, “Anyways, Inquiry might give us answers. Sit, sit.”

Mo Ran and Chu Wanning, though a bit perplexed, they followed suit, kneeling besides all the corpses. Lan Wangji, strummed the strings of the guqin, playing notes as wisps of blue light gathered in front of the men. The spirits remained scattered. Lan Wangji tried playing again, attempting to coax a spirit forward for answers. One wisp floated down, strumming a note on the guqin.

Lan Wangji inquired, “Who are you?”

The spirit played a few notes. “I don’t know. I was a cultivator.”

Lan Wangji’s eyebrows knit together as he played, “Who killed you?”

“The beast.”

“Beast?”

“Picked part, limbs pulled off, pain. A bird.”

“Were you brought here to kill it?”

“Yes.”

“Is it dead?”

This time, the spirit paused. It plucked another note. “No.”

“Is it around?”

“Yes. It’s close.”

The spirits dissipated as the guqin fell silent. Mo Ran asked, “Did you get an answer?”

“Mmn.” Lan Wangji explained, “It seems the beast we were sent to kill has slaughtered all these cultivators. It said it’s nearby.”

“How near?”

Before Lan Wangji could answer, a screech echoed above them, loud enough to deafen them temporarily. All four stood at attention.

“Tiawen!” Chu Wanning summoned his famous willow vine that glowed an ethereal gold.

“Jiangui, come forth!” Mo Ran’s willow vine, colored blood red, extended down to the ground.

“Seems like we didn’t have to go searching after all.” Wei Wuxian laughed nervously as he held Chenqing. “Well, at least there’s plenty of resentful energy around.”

Lan Wangji unsheathed Bichen. “You’ll be able to control these corpses?”

“The Stygian Tiger Seal is gone. They’ll listen to me,” Wei Wuxian assured.

“Why do you want the resentful energy,” Chu Wanning asked.

“My, my. You’ve never heard of the Yiling Patriarch? At least…that’s what I was called.” Wei Wuxian smiled. “We must come from two different worlds indeed.”

“We can figure it out later. I don’t think this this will give us a chance to talk,” Mo Ran urged.

True enough, the sky darkened, a large monstrosity blotting out the red sky. The monster screeched again, flapping its wings hard enough for the cultivators to feel on their skin. Spotting new prey, the bird turned back, tucking its wings before dive bombing the group.

Mo Ran yelled, “Run!”

Immediately, the group scattered, taking care to not trip over corpses as the bird cratered to the ground, missing Lan Wangji by a hair. Standing back on its legs, it spread its wings, flapping them again.

_Skrreeeeeee!_

This monster was unlike anything they’d seen in either of their worlds. It stood two times taller than the Turtle of Slaughter that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji fought. The wingspan was longer than the measuring snake’s body. It was no wonder how all these cultivators perished. The black feathers were splotched with red like its pupiless eyes.

“How are we supposed to kill this thing?” Mo Ran gritted his teeth as he glanced over at his Shizun.

If Chu Wanning was panicking, he certainly wasn’t showing it. “I’ve never heard of a creature like this.”

Without thinking, Wei Wuxian placed Chenqing to his lips, beginning to play a frantic melody that roused the corpses generously littered on the ground. Ten, twenty, thirty. Corpses stood on crumpling limbs, shambling towards the bird. Lan Wanji sent out Bichen, aiming it towards one of the eyes.

But the monster flapped its wings again, blowing the corpses over and swatting Bichen away. Chu Wanning leapt up, grabbing onto the bird’s stomach with one hand. Swinging Tiawen upwards, he extended it to wrap around the bird’s large neck. Once secured, he climbed it like a rope, doing his best to hurry. This beast was unpredictable. It could take flight any second, leaving him hanging in the air only to fall to his death.

“Shizun!” Mo Ran sprinted towards the bird, determined to reach Chu Wanning. The bird screeched again, flapping his wings.

Hundreds of feathers shot out, ready to maim the delicate flesh of cultivators. The movement caused Chu Wanning’s grip to slip as he slid down Tiawen a couple feet. Lan Wangji strummed his guqin, repelling a large mass of feathers.

“Argh!” Mo Ran stumbled as one pierced his left upper thigh, ramming straight through to the other side. He remained standing, continuing at a slower pace, pushing through the pain.

Wei Wuxian shouted, “Cover for me! Buy me some time!”

“Are you sure,” Lan Wangji asked.

“I’ll be fine!” Wei Wuxian placed Chenqing back to his lips.

Nodding in understanding, Lan Wangji sprinted towards the beast, trying to catch up with Mo Ran. Wei Wuxian played a slower melody, coaxing the resentful energy to rise from the infinite corpses around him. He knew it’d take time, unable to rush the process lest he make a mistake and drive himself to madness.

Seeing the resentful energy rise, flowing back towards Wei Wuxian, Mo Ran stopped, horror plain on his face. He shouted back at Wei Wuxian, “What are you doing?!”

Lan Wangji reassured him, “It’s fine! He’ll explain later! Just trust him!”

Lan Wangji rushed ahead, leaving Mo Ran to look back at the Yiling Patriach whose eyes began to glow a faint red. Pursing his lips, he contemplated running back to stop him. Chu Wanning’s voice rang out, causing him to turn his focus back towards the bird. The pain in his thigh had dulled to a throb. Though doubts lingered in the back of his mind, he knew there were more pressing matters. Mo Ran broke off the excess part of the feather sticking out of his leg. He had to save his Shizun.

“Hold on, Shizun. I’m coming.”

Chu Wanning’s hands were bleeding as he reached the bird’s nape. He returned Tiawen to its whip form, gripping it tightly despite the searing ache. He scanned the area, looking for anything that’d indicate a weakness. He’d felt the skin beneath the feathers, and it was soft enough for a weapon to lacerate. The feathers acted as a buffer though. Anything short of stabbing wouldn’t pierce the skin.

_Skreeeee!_

Before he formulated a plan, the bird screeched again. Chu Wanning felt the beast under him shift, finding himself unable to remain standing. Looking down, he saw that it had taken flight like he feared.

“Dammit!” He gripped the feathers again as it rose faster, his body swaying slightly as the bird tilted back.

Great, he found himself up here, and now he couldn’t do anything. If he lost his grip, he’d certainly fall to his death. Never before had he found himself in such a situation. In every other conflict that didn’t consider Mo Ran, he found himself maintaining his composure. In this case though, well, he was beginning to panic ever so slightly. What if the damn beast didn’t wanna land and flew farther away? Gradually, he crawled closer to the back of its nape so it couldn’t turn its head and pluck him off with his beak.

Seeing the bird fly off, Mo Ran screamed, “Shizun!”

In his other hand, he summoned Bu gui, immediately mounting it and soaring up towards the bird. Lan Wangji played the guqin, sending a tailwind to accelerate Mo Ran’s speed. In seconds, Mo Ran reached the wings, dodging their movements before landing on the back.

“Shizun!”

“Mo Ran!” Chu Wanning looked back to see his disciple hanging on.

Steadily, Mo Ran crawled up to Chu Wanning, relieved to see him. He glanced at Chu Wanning’s palms, seeing the red stains. He gritted his teeth, but he knew it couldn’t be helped. Huisha couldn’t be summoned recklessly. They had to figure out how to injure this monster first.

“We need to get it to land,” Chu Wanning said.

“How,” Mo Ran asked and pursed his lips.

“Injuring it, but all the feathers guard the skin.” Chu Wanning pursed his lips in thought before saying, “Wind.”

“What?”

“We can use Wind to destroy the feathers on the wings and back. You take the left wing, and I’ll take the right.”

“Understood!”

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Lan Wangji anxiously waited by Wei Wuxian’s side as he finished gathering all the resentful energy. Wei Wuxian’s eyes were bloodred as the black mist surrounded him. He twirled Chenqing in his hand and nodded to Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji mounted Bichen, carrying Wei Wuxian with him as he hastily flew to meet Chu Wanning and Mo Ran.

As they reached them, two voices rang out simultaneously. “Wind!”

Instantly, Jiangui and Tiawen grew longer to create vortexes that uprooted all the feathers on the beast’s back and wings, drawing them to pulverize into fibers. The grey skin was exposed, and with the loss of a few flight feathers, the bird began descending.

Wei Wuxian played Chenqing, directing resentful energy to fester around, binding the body, slicing into the delicate skin. The bird screeched before turning its beak towards Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

“Lan Wangji, look out!”

With Mo Ran’s warning, Lan Wangji dodged in time, avoiding the gigantic beak that was open to pick apart their limbs. The movement caused his hold on Wei Wuxian to slip, and the man fell out of his arms, plummeting towards the earth.

Wei Wuxian screamed, “Lan Zhan!”

“Wei Ying!” Immediately shifting direction, he dove towards Wei Wuxian, hand reaching out.

Wei Wuxian fell faster than Lan Wangji could catch up. Tears pricked at the corners of the latter’s eyes, his heart wailing, _‘No!No!No!No!’_

A blur of red whizzed by Lan Wangji, catching up to Wei Wuxian. Mo Ran held Jiangui, in one hand as he rode Bu gui. Extending the willow vine, he whipped it out, lassoing Wei Wuxian around the waist.

“I got him!” Mo Ran tilted up on the sword, Wei Wuxian hanging below him.

Wei Wuxian let out a relieved sigh before laughing. “Thanks.”

“Wei Ying!” Lan Wangji arrived next to Wei Wuxian. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Hanguang-Jun,” he said, wearing that same carefree grin. “Go back up and help Chu Wanning get that thing to land. We can fight it on the ground.”

Pausing, he wanted to insist, “Let me stay by your side! I’m not leaving!” But, he knew his husband was right. Chu Wanning would need help. Reluctantly, he departed leaving Wei Wuxian in Mo Ran’s care.

Once he landed back on the bird, he grabbed the back of Chu Wanning’s collar to help steady him. Chu Wanning nodded in thanks. Lan Wangji asked, “Do you have a plan?”

The resentful energy dissipated, leaving angry red lacerations in their wake. The blood dripping all over the skin made it slippery. Lan Wangji thrusted Bichen into the skin to hold as an anchor as they continued to descend.

“Yes.” Tiawen vanished from Chu Wanning’s palm as he called forth, “Huisha! Come forth!”

Huisha manifested in his hand three times its normal size, the hilt growing to accompany a double grip. Chu Wanning had only heard tales of warriors wielding such great swords, never having practiced himself. Despite this, he put faith in his holy weapon, knowing it’d never fail him. This was the sword he used to fly Mo Ran away from Tianyin Pavilion after he was wrongfully convicted and tortured by those who had conspired against him. Now, he’ll use it again to liberate this decrepit world from a foul monster and free the spirits shackled here.

Chu Wanning stabbed the blade deep into the bird’s body until only the hilt was left sticking out. The bird’s cry was blood curdling, but Chu Wanning stood up, hunched over to keep most of the blade inside.

He called to Lan Wangji, “Take out the legs!”

Nodding, Lan Wangji mounted Bichen again and took strings from his guqin, weaving them together to form a longer one.

Chord Assassination Technique.

He swooped below, wrapping the chord around both ankles that were thick as tree trunks. As he did this, Chu Wanning, disregarding his precarious footing, began picking up speed as he dragged Huisha’s blade up the bird’s back, splitting it. Blood gushed forth, dying his robes and face. Once he reached the nape, he ripped Huisha out. The beast fell faster, unable to keep afloat. Lan Wangji’s chords were wrapped sufficiently around the ankles. He channeled spiritual energy into the strings, severing the feet from the legs. Like this, the bird would certainly crash land. Soaring back up, he grabbed Chu Wanning, taking him away from the bird. They descended to meet Mo Ran and Wei Wuxian.

With little strength it had, the monster sent hundreds more feathers careening towards Mo Ran and Wei Wuxian. Mo Ran formed a barrier, repelling the projectiles as the bird crashed to the ground. Unable to stand, the creature just screeched maddeningly. The men dodged the beak when it reached for them. Mo Ran took Bu qui and jumped up, piercing one of the eyes with it. The monster shook its head back and forth, trying to dislodge the intrusion. Lan Wangji and Chu Wanning landed safely on solid ground by Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian asked, “Are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” Chu Wanning answered before turning his attention towards Mo Ran.

Mo Ran summoned Jiangui, ordering it to wrap around the bird’s beak, keeping it clamped shut. Without the fear of being eaten, he jumped to the other eye, stabbing it with Bu qui. Wiggling it around, mucus and blood poured out, sticking to his body. Satisfied after blinding it, Mo Ran jumped to the ground. Chu Wanning rushed forth to catch him in his arms.

Wei Wuxian played Chenqing again, ordering resentful energy to bind the monster to the ground. Hundreds of corpses rose again with the melody, jumping onto the bird’s chest. Frenzied, their teeth gnashed, ripping out the feathers to expose skin before sinking their nails and mouth into it. Helpless, the bird thrashed, screaming continuously as blood poured over its chest.

“How is it not dead yet?” Frustrated, Wei Wuxian ordered the corpses to dig further into the chest cavity. Clumps of flesh plopped to the ground like morbid hail.

“It should be any second now,” Lan Wangji said.

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran had returned to the other pair’s side, watching with rapt attention as the once formidable beast writhed like a pathetic worm drying up under the scorching sun. Just like the earthworms Mo Ran tried to save as a young kid. He vaguely felt pity for the creature, but he wanted the spirits to find peace.

Gradually, the monster ceased moving. Wei Wuxian stopped playing. Corpses dropped to the ground amongst the piles of flesh torn out. Sighing with relief, he smiled. “Well, that took long enough.”

“Mmn.” Lan Wangji sheathed Bichen and placed a hand on his husband’s shoulder. As soon as he did, Wei Wuxian collapsed to his knees, Chenqing falling from his fingers. Alarmed, he called, “Wei Ying?”

Wei Wuxian chuckled lightly. “I can’t lift a finger. Lan Zhan, I think you’ll have to carry me.”

Lan Zhan propped Wei Wuxian up, moving an arm under his shoulders to help him stand. “Mmn. I’ll carry you home.”

Now, those burning questions could finally be asked by Mo Ran and Chu Wanning. Surely, they’d heard stories of demonic cultivation, but to witness something utilizing it in such a manner? It was unprecedented in their world.

Chu Wanning asked, “That was demonic cultivation, right?”

“Yeah,” Wei Wuxian answered. “Where we’re from, I founded it based on a theory I had.”

Lan Wangji reflected to that day in the Cloud Recesses where Wei Wuxian presented the theory in front of the class led by Lan Qiren. Lan Qiren’s answer was to toss him out of class.

Mo Ran scratched his nose. “Why?”

“In my past life, I lost my golden core.”

“You lost it?”

Wei Wuxian nodded. “I had it transplanted to my brother who lost his after the massacre of our home. I was thrown to the Burial Mounds where resentful energy made a haven for fierce corpses. Instead of giving up, I decided to test my theory. It took three months to crawl out of there.”

“And you’ve been using it since,” Mo Ran asked.

“Yeah.”

Mo Ran and Chu Wanning glanced at each other, exchanging a knowing look. In their world, demonic arts resulted in Zhenlong Chess Formation. It was the forbidden technique Mo Ran as Taxian Jun refined in his first life, laying slaughter to the entire cultivation world. Witnessing resentful energy being utilized in Wei Wuxian’s method, it was certainly something to be skeptical about.

Before either could comment further, the light of a spirit floated between the four of them. In a flash of light, it morphed into the spirit all of them had been approached by originally. It stood only a couple feet high.

“Thank you to all of you.” The spirit saluted in gratitude. “I will send you all back, but I will call for you again to visit when the land is restored to its former glory.”

The cultivators exchanged looks with each other. Chu Wanning asked, “What is this world?”

“It’s a parallel world existing along side both of yours. It hosts various spirits as a sort of limbo as they travel. Before it was ruined millennia ago, it bloomed with life, a bustling hub for those to rest.” The spirit looked over the ruined landscape, musing, “There were shops, homes, lakes, flora… It was beautiful until that cursed beast laid waste to it. Now that it’s slain, this world can recover, and the spirits of those slain can be at peace.”

The two pair stared at one another in silence for a minute. Wei Wuxian broke it, “Well, we’ll have to meet up again here. It’s been a pleasure.”

Mo Ran smiled back. “Likewise. Next time, we’ll have to bring you some of Shizun’s wontons. He makes the best ones.” He nudged Chu Wanning. “Right, Shizun?”

Chu Wanning’s ears turned pink as he cleared his throat. “I can make some.”

“We’ll bring Emperor’s Smile too!” Wei Wuxian grinned, asking, “We still have some stashed in the room, right?”

“Mmn.” For the first time since meeting, Lan Wangji smiled at the other pair. “We’ll bring a few jars.”

Wei Wuxian teased, “Dear Hanguang-Jun can’t hold his liquor. He passes out after just one drink!”

“Wei Ying…” Lan Wangji’s brow twitched in embarrassment.

“Shizun and I look forward to it.” Mo Ran saluted. “Until next time.”

The four cultivators parted, leaving behind a desolate land to return to their worlds. They didn’t know when, but they would meet again. Destiny is a funny thing after all. The spirit smiled, thinking to itself, _‘Those four are meant to be together. How can I not support such camaraderie? Until we meet again.’_

With that, it set out to restore what had once been destroyed.


End file.
